Next‐Generation Electrical Insulating Materials

Guest Editorial: Situational awareness of integrated energy systems

SEMI‐ACCELERATED CORROSION TESTS OF MEDIUM AND HIGH TENSILE STEEL IN CONTACT WITH PHENOLIC FOAM

Repurposing Electricity Access Research for the Global South: A Tale of Many Disconnects

Convergence, or the fusion of technology, devices, knowledge, process and people from multiple engineering disciplines, is vital in solving complex engineering problems. System specialists and engineers can no longer operate in separate environments, designing independent solutions, without understanding their overall interconnectedness. Increasingly, electrical engineers must understand basic concepts from mechanical engineering, and both must understand basic concepts from software engineering. These disciplines must work cooperatively and in a “convergent” manner to design solutions that integrate cross-discipline components - material (e.g. aluminum, plastic), electrical (e.g. circuitry), communications (internet), and user devices (e.g. computers, phones). This paper provides continued rationale for the emergence of convergence as a key consideration in the attainment of superior performance with respect to time, cost and quality. It outlines the importance of convergence to process engineering and modeling as well as its role in the instantiation of the solution into a final product or service. Convergence provides many benefits including increased productivity, improved coordination amongst the disciplines and access to information almost anytime and anywhere.

Thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurement is widely used in a variety of research fields, i.e., physics, electronics, electrical engineering, chemistry, ceramics, and biology. TSC is short-circuit current that flows owing to the displacement of charges in samples during heating. TSC measurement is very simple, but TSC curves give very important information on charge behaviors. In the 1970s, TSC measurement contributed greatly to the development of electrical insulation engineering, semiconductor device technology, and so forth. Accordingly, the TSC experimental technique and its analytical method advanced. Over the past decades, many new molecules and advanced functional materials have been discovered and developed. Along with this, TSC measurement has attracted much attention in industries and academic laboratories as a way of characterizing newly discovered materials and devices. In this review, we report the latest research trend in the TSC method for the development of materials and devices in Japan.

This research investigates novel polymeric composite materials made from recycled polyolefin and waste plant biomass (poplar seeds and vegetable peels), which have potential applications in the relatively unexplored field of electrical insulation. For composites made from poplar seeds with low density polyethylene matrix, the structure appears more uniform, even with increased biomass content, in contrast to those utilizing high density polyethylene matrix, which displays notable heterogeneous areas where the polymer appears separated from the fibrous network at higher biomass levels. Concerning the composites of vegetable peels with high density polyethylene matrix, the fragments of vegetable peels are clearly recognizable, and their bond to the polymer matrix appears weaker. When incorporating vegetable peels into the polypropylene matrix, it results in a better distribution of the vegetable peel fragments within the polymer matrix, as well as enhanced structural homogeneity. Overall, the incorporation of biomass reduces the Shore hardness measurement for every polymer matrix. Regarding tear resistance, the inclusion of biomass reduces the values only for low density polyethylene with poplar seeds. For both high density polyethylene and polypropylene, regardless of the biomass type, the property seems to enhance marginally with the addition of biomass. The primary advantage of utilizing these composites is that their water absorption rate is at least twice as low as that of transformer board, while still offering a similar capacity for absorbing transformer oil. All composite types exceeded the minimum required threshold of 70 °C for service exposure, and adhered to insulation class A, similar to cellulose-based insulations. The addition of cellulose to polyolefin composites appears to slightly improve their breakdown strength. The conductivity for this type of composite is at least three times lower than that of cellulose insulation materials, rendering them beneficial for applications in electrical engineering as potential substitutes for cellulose-based materials in multiple electrical insulation uses, e.g., for insulating low voltage electrical machines, as well as serving as a substitute for pressboard in transformers. Additionally, their thermoplastic properties offer enhanced processing versatility, opening up new opportunities for electrical engineering technology, especially with regard to electrical insulation recyclability in the context of a circular economy.

The convergence of Robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed engineering by enabling the design of intelligent systems capable of learning, adapting, and performing complex tasks. These synergies are driving innovation across multiple engineering disciplines, including mechanical, materials, electrical, industrial, civil, and aerospace engineering. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the knowledge structure and emerging research directions of Robotics and AI in engineering, with the aim of identifying research trends, influential authors, leading institutions, and emerging thematic areas. Data were collected from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, covering the period from 2020 to 2025, and analyzed using bibliometric mapping techniques and performance indicators. The results reveal a sustained growth in research on autonomous systems, collaborative robots, and human–robot interaction within engineering contexts, with a strong emphasis on AI-driven optimization. Bibliometric analyses show that deep learning, reinforcement learning, and computer vision constitute the core enabling technologies structuring the field. In addition, the results highlight a high degree of international collaboration and a concentration of scientific output and impact in a limited number of leading countries, institutions, and journals.

This review paper explores the transformative potential of polymer composites and adhesives in reducing the weight of aircraft landing gear, thereby improving fuel efficiency and lowering emissions. The replacement of conventional metallic materials and mechanical fastenings with advanced thermoset/thermoplastic composites and adhesives can significantly enhance durability and performance in demanding operational environments. Unlike traditional fastening methods, the structural adhesives eliminate the weight penalties associated with mechanical fasteners, offering a lighter and more reliable solution that meets the rigorous demands of modern aerospace engineering. Furthermore, the review highlights a variety of manufacturing techniques and innovative materials, including bio-based polymers, self-healing materials, noobed composites, helicoid composites, and hybrid composites. The use of thermosets and vitrimers in adhesive bonding are presented, illustrating their ability to create robust and durable joints that enhance the structural integrity of landing gear systems. The paper also addresses current challenges, including recycling limitations and high material costs. Sustainability considerations, including the integration of self-healing materials, structural health monitoring systems, and circular economy principles, are discussed as essential for aligning the aerospace sector with global climate goals.

High voltage engineering is an elective unit in the Electrical Engineering undergraduate curriculum at Monash University. I have taught this type of course for 40 years, at first demonstrating in the laboratory as a junior academic in Poland, and eventually running the Jack Wilson High Voltage Laboratory at Monash University until my recent retirement. For at least the last 10 years, keeping high voltage engineering in the curriculum, and keeping and maintaining the laboratory, have been "hard yakka" as we say in Australia. There are several reasons why this is so, and they are probably not unique to Australia. High voltage laboratories belonging to universities have become a rarity Down Under, because of an everdiminishing industry base that would be able and willing to support research in this discipline. For a university, what matters most for its prestige are research grants and publications. Winning grants and scoring highly in publication indexes is more difficult in Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation than in other Electrical Engineering disciplines; the reasons can be stated clearly, but let's put them aside for another occasion. In addition, even though undergraduate training still pays the bulk of academic salaries, it is treated as mere necessity, bordering on nuisance, because preparing and teaching classes occupies time that otherwise could be "better spent" on doing research to get those grants and write those papers.

In this Special Issue of IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON DIELECTRICS AND ELECTRICAL INSULATION (TDEI) on Electrets and Related Phenomena, we have assembled a total of 14 invited and contributed papers that were mostly presented at the IEEE 18th International Symposium on Electrets (ISE18). ISE is the premier IEEE-sponsored conference on electrets under the auspices of the IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) since 1985. Its predecessors had been held since 1967 under different umbrellas such as the Electro-Chemical Society (ECS), as well as Brazilian and Japanese scientific organizations. The ISE symposia provide a unique meeting opportunity for scientists and engineers from all over the world working in the field of condensed-matter physics and chemistry, electrical engineering and materials science. ISE18 was held on September 24–28, 2021, and hosted by Tongji University, with additional support from the Electrostatics Committee of the Chinese Society of Physics, the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences–Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Fudan University, and the East China University of Science and Technology.

The quest for a better understanding of important problems underlying the improvement of electrical insulation is proceeding definitely through channels of research into related fundamentals, as outlined in the January issue of ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING (pp. 24–29). During the first half of 1931 some seven papers have been presented before Institute conventions and District meetings covering certain specific efforts in insulation research. Two of these papers concerned themselves with cable oils, two with impregnated paper, and three devoted primary attention to mathematical attacks upon insulation problems. In whole or in part in several instances these same papers were discussed at the Washington, D. C. meeting (Nov. 7–8, 1930) of the National Research Council's electrical insulation committee, which conference was comprehensively reviewed in the January 1931 issue of ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING. All of the papers in question have been reviewed briefly in current news reports appearing in ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, but because of the importance of the subject and for the benefit of those it may serve, the following group of brief abstracts is published.

Click chemistry has emerged as a significant tool for materials science, organic chemistry, and bioscience. Based on the initial concept of Barry Sharpless in 2001, the copper(I)-catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction has triggered a plethora of chemical concepts for linking molecules and building blocks under ambient conditions, forming the basis for applications in autonomous cross-linking materials. Self-healing systems on the other hand are often based on mild cross-linking chemistries that are able to react either autonomously or upon an external trigger. In the ideal case, self-healing takes place efficiently at low temperatures, independent of the substrate(s) used, by forming strong and stable networks, binding to the newly generated (cracked) interfaces to restore the original material properties. The use of the CuAAC in self-healing systems, most of all the careful design of copper-based catalysts linked to additives as well as the chemical diversity of substrates, has led to an enormous potential of applications of this singular reaction. The implementation of click-based strategies in self-healing systems therefore is highly attractive, as here chemical (and physical) concepts of molecular reactivity, molecular design, and even metal catalysis are connected to aspects of materials science. In this Account, we will show how CuAAC reactions of multivalent components can be used as a tool for self-healing materials, achieving cross-linking at low temperatures (exploiting concepts of autocatalysis or internal chelation within the bulk CuAAC and systematic optimization of the efficiency of the used Cu(I) catalysts). Encapsulation strategies to separate the click components by micro- and nanoencapsulation are required in this context. Consequently, the examples reported here describe chemical concepts to realize more efficient and faster click reactions in self-healing polymeric materials. Thus, enhanced chain diffusion in (hyper)branched polymers, autocatalysis, or internal chelation concepts enable efficient click cross-linking already at 5 °C with a simultaneously reduced amount of Cu(I) catalyst and increased reaction rates, culminating in the first reported self-healing system based on click cycloaddition reactions. Via tailor-made nanocarbon/Cu(I) catalysts we can further improve the click cross-linking reaction in view of efficiency and kinetics, leading to the generation of self-healing graphene-based epoxy nanocomposites. Additionally, we have designed special CuAAC click methods for chemical reporting and visualization systems based on the detection of ruptured capsules via a fluorogenic click reaction, which can be combined with CuAAC cross-linking reactions to obtain simultaneous stress detection and self-healing within polymeric materials. In a similar concept, we have prepared polymeric Cu(I)-biscarbene complexes to detect (mechanical) stress within self-healing polymeric materials via a triggered fluorogenic reaction, thus using a destructive force for a constructive chemical response.

Global cryogenic Paschen test of the JT-60SA magnet system

The unsafe disposal of milk processing effluents has a negative impact on the environment due to their high content of nutrients and organic matter. Green alternatives can be applied to effectively manage and valorize these effluents, reducing their environmental footprint. The ability of the free-living cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp. to grow in real cheese whey was evaluated as a potential strategy for integrating dairy wastewater treatment with biomass valorization. Autotrophic and mixotrophic cultures were maintained under controlled laboratory conditions and monitored over 28 days for growth, cell viability, biomass, pigment content, and physicochemical parameters, including pH, protein, carbohydrate, and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Oscillatoria sp. successfully adapted to the initial acidic conditions of the effluent (pH 2.8-2.9), increasing the pH of the treated whey to levels suitable for industrial wastewater disposal (pH 6.0-9.0). A 5-fold increase in dehydrogenase activity was observed after a 28-day culture, with no signs of oxidative damage. Cyanobacterial biomass cultivated under mixotrophic conditions displayed a significant reduction (∼55%) in photosynthetic pigments, including chlorophyll a and total carotenoids, compared to autotrophic cultures. Notably, Oscillatoria sp. biomass increased by 2.3-fold under mixotrophy, compared to the autotrophic control. The higher biomass production was accompanied by a significant reduction in the whey COD from 35,250 mg/L to 8500 mg/L, along with a 65% and 80% decrease in protein and carbohydrate content, respectively. These findings provide new insights into the metabolic behavior of Oscillatoria sp. during cheese whey bioremediation, highlighting the potential of mixotrophic cyanobacteria for managing dairy wastewater management.

The advancements that have been made in nanotechnology and nanoscience have produced remarkable outcomes in the present day. As a result, they have found more uses in a wider range of fields, such as technology, physics, chemistry, and biology.These traditional ideas have been rendered obsolete as a result of the emergence of nanotechnology. The extraordinary performance of nanotechnology drew the attention of electrical engineers, who were interested in developing components for electrical systems that were dependable and efficient. By using the nanotechnology idea, electrical engineers are able to create nano-structured value-added goods that possess high superior features. This paper brings to a head the notion of nanotechnology in a variety of electrical components, including nanowires, insulators, transformers, and dielectric fluids, as well as prospective future possibilities.